#112 "The Black Panther Betrayal," Barry Killed

Now let's continue with "The Black Panter Betrayal": "In April, 1999, I finally finished writing all my marked passages in David Maehr's great little book, The Florida Panther: Life And Death Of A Vanishing Carnivore." I have checked the book out from the library for over a year, and now I can return it and check out other books. I don't seem to be much of a reader. I ordered my own copy of David's book from Books-A-Million. I also called David yesterday to tell him about the ex-mayor of the City of Alachua in Alachua County seeing a black panther with a white patch on his face. David simply retorted, "The question is why he is seeing a black panther because they don't exist. He could be wearing a purple scarf..."
"And taking off in a UFO," I filled in.
David did say, "The black bobcat (which is occasionally seen in south-central Florida) sometimes has white markings on it."
"Well, that would make sense. The white and black both come from the same recesssive gene," I remarked knowledgeably.
About two weeks later, I got a call from a Wayne Folston. He is the brother of the guy from Colorado who pointed out the dead "black panther" to his family when they were on vacation in Florida from Colorado. I mentioned his daughter, the Rocky Mountain Beauty. Wayne Folston said, "I talked to my other brother in Perry, and his neighbor saw a black panther a few days ago. He was fishing in the sinks (sinkholes) on the Aucilla River. The cat was just sitting in the middle of the road, looking at him."
"Do you think he was hallucinating?" I asked facetiously.
"I believe him. Richard's family used to run cattle and hogs. He knows the woods. He used to hunt riding a horse in there. That horse would either see or sense the deer and stop. Richard would then look until he could spot the deer. That horse would carry the deer out too. Most horses won't carry dead animals. Richard would have no reason to lie."
"How old is he?"
"Fifty-three or four."
The Rocky Mountain Beauty at the motel breakfast had told me her name so I later called information and asked for the Folstons in Perry. I wanted to get the number of the Folston from Colorado who had pointed out the "black panther" to his family. Since he had obviously stopped both of his daughters from telling me the real identification of the animal - a big, black dog - I wanted the satisfaction of talking to him. Now it seemed that I had stumbled on a recent black panther sighting in the Aucilla Game Management Area that seemed genuine. Even though Richard supposedly did not have a telephone, I started calling people in Perry who had his same last name. I found a woman who finally admitted she was Richard's daughter-in-law although Richard had never officially married her mother. According to Wayne, Richard and this woman have been living together all their adult lives without benefit of nuptial ties. They have several children. The daughter-in-law said she had not heard of the panther sighting, but that Richard and her husband, Richard's son, would be back in town by the weekend. I called her back Friday, and she had obviously talked to her husband and Richard and maybe Wayne Folston because she was much less guarded. She even gave me Richard's phone number. I called him, and he was adamant that he had seen a black panther. To Be Continued.
Two-Guns' Rant: Kando, the Navy Seal, wanted to take in Barrymore, the dog would lives under Tasha's bed, and see if he could work with him. For about a year, I have been chasing Barry out from under the bed and closing Tasha's bedroom door so he can't get back in. He's been spending time under the kitchen table. For months, he would only sit under the table and watch me suspiciously. But recently, he began to relax and would lie on the bedding I gave him and even appear to go to sleep. I would open Tasha's door, but he would stay in the kitchen for days before he sucumbed to his old ways and would be back under the bed. When Kando took Barry, I learned that there was no space under his bed, and Barry was forced to be with the rest of the dogs. Kando does very well with animals, and soon he was petting Barry. Barry was acting like a regular dog and running with the pack. Peanut, the yellow lab, and father of Rambo and Cowboy had adopted Barry. They spent most of their time together, and Peanut would groom Barry with his tongue. Yesterday, apparently the males got into a fight while Kando was at work, and Barry was killed. Someone tore a hole into his stomach, ruptured an artery, and Barry bled to death. Kando found him that night when he got home from work. Peanut was lying next to him. This morning when Kando left for work, it was raining but Peanut was again stretched out on the ground next to Barry's grave. Goodbye, Barry. I hope to see you on the other side.
If you have a black panther, Bigfoot, or Skunk Ape sighting either present or past, I would love to hear to hear from you. peternickerson12@yahoo.com or 352-359-0849.